Buckle My Shoe

December 8, 2014

I have loved using Anna Grossnickle Hines’ version of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe in storytimes for years. With its quilted illustrations, the slight variation in text from the traditional rhyme (just enough to make it interesting, not so much that it becomes weird or unfamiliar), and the layers of detail that you can choose to explore with kids or not, depending on how squirrely your group is (How many buttons are on this page? Where did that red thread come from?), this book is rich with read-aloud possibility. I was delighted to learn recently that this book has now been translated into an app called Buckle My Shoe by appropro!

I am happy to report that the app stays very true to the book. All of the quilted illustrations are intact (with very subtle animations that add interest, not distraction) and in addition to the counting element of the buttons (which is even more apparent in the app than it was in the book), the app incorporates some interactive activities at the end of the book. The activities are all done with a “pile” of buttons at the bottom of the screen, and activities include sorting, making patterns, and making pictures with buttons. I appreciate that the activities are after the book, not disrupting the narrative, but instead furthering the learning and play opportunities. I also love that the activities each have a guided option as well as freeplay prompts. This is one of those hard-to-find apps that work equally well for storytime and for at-home play.

We asked a few other librarians to review the app as well and here’s what they had to say:

“I actually had a chance to use this app in storytime this week, since our theme was nursery rhymes! The book part of the app worked nicely as an addition to our fingerplay. We used our fingers to count along with the app and then did some motions for the words. It’s short enough that we did it twice and then counted to ten using the buttons. The app worked well; although it did quit on me and I didn’t think the animations were dramatic enough to catch and hold my large group’s attention. I also wish the font had been consistent throughout the book. I did really love the extras! The sorting part is ripe for parent-and-child interaction, which makes me really excited. I can just imagine a mom or dad and a preschooler hovered over the iPad, carefully sorting each button and talking about where it belongs. It’s wonderful!” — Rachel Sharpe, Virginia

“I like the illustrations! Super cute, “quilted” style images make for a very sweet app. The one thing I don’t like is that when I tap on the images of the numbers, there is no voice over repeating that number. So when I tap on the number “1” it should say the word “one”. There is a voice over when I tap on the buttons, which is nice, but I think for a counting app, kids should be able to tap on the numbers and hear the word. This app seems to be aimed at very young children who are still learning their numbers so hearing the words when tapping on the images would go a long way to reinforce the concept.” — Anne Hicks, New York

“This was a very satisfying app – simple and colorful and easy to navigate. The beautiful fabric pictures were as appealing on the screen as in the book and I liked the moving elements with the read aloud of the rhyme. I especially liked the Design screen with the button pictures and patterns but to me one of the most appealing parts was the sound of the buttons falling in a pile. I could definitely see kids following the patterns and creating their own or sorting by size or color. I could see recommending this app to parents as an early literacy activity since sorting and sequencing contribute to emerging literacy skills and there are abundant opportunities to work on those. It’s a simple app but it offers a lot of skill building and creativity – moving the different buttons around is easy and gratifying.” — Laura Antolin, Illinois

“I recently used the app with some story time participants 15-24 months old. Fortunately I had small groups that week. Though the illustrations directly from the book are bold enough to use with a group other components are best suited for a one child and one grown-up interaction. One child was already familiar with “1,2 buckle” and eagerly touched the buttons on the iPad. Some children came up to touch the screen but others sat back and observed. The app is a lovely extension of the book. Users can choose to have the book read to them, in a child’s voice, or turn off that feature. Words are highlighted as they are read. The automated reader counts the buttons as the child touches them, in any order, and, once touched, the buttons can be moved around the page. Other features of the app include opportunities for counting, sorting, designing, patterning and matching. Success is built in to the counting feature, where a button appears when the user touches a finger on the fabric hand. If you are on the page with the number 2, for instance, only 2 buttons will appear no matter how many times the finger tips are touched. Such is the gentle nature of the app that, in other activities, there is no right answer, encouraging experimentation and creativity. Users can interact as simply as counting from 1 to 10 or get more advanced and sort Venn sets. All aspects of the app lend themselves to conversation which enhances early literacy skills: “Can you find the red heart button?” “How many green buttons do you see?” A gentle, satisfying tinkling sound accompanies the movement of the buttons which are a lovely array of bright colors, sizes and shapes offering all the fun of playing with real buttons without the choking hazard. Buckle My Shoe is a high quality, visually appealing app offering numerous components for educational and creative play. No external links.” — Nicki Petrone, Ohio

Recommended!

This app has been thoroughly evaluated by our staff. Please click on the 'star ratings' tab above, to see how it fared in all nine of our rating categories. See synopsis tab for more details about the storyline.

LittleeLit is a collaborative think tank of professionals thinking about the topic of young children, new media, and libraries.Individuals who share their viewpoints, experiences, and presentations in Little eLit blog posts are expressing their personal views and do not represent Little eLit as a whole.

All reviews are of the app, not the platform/device. Based originally on iPad versions. Minor technical details may vary.

Story Synopsis - Buckle My Shoe

Via iTunes:

A favorite nursery rhyme, bright pages, hundreds of buttons to count, sort and move into beautiful patterns and designs!Based on the well known rhyme the book, 1, 2 Buckle My Shoe was acclaimed by professional reviewers as, “Joyous and great fun, ” ~Kirkus “A real delight…” ~Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast “Bold, simple layouts, the juxtaposition of printed fabrics, and the decorative use of rickrack and stitching make the playful art visually pleasing, but even better is Hines' fine-tuned understanding of how young children might use the book as they learn to count.” ~American Library Association Booklist

The app expands those counting possibilities further, enabling the child to move the buttons as they are counted. New pages show open hands, upon which buttons magically appear as the child touches to count the appropriate number of fingers. Even more novel are the pages for sorting buttons by size, shape and color, or making sets, and creating patterns, all important early math skills.

Features:Charming child narratorRead to Me on or offTouch to hear individual wordsAudio on or off on the counting pages.Easy navigation tools help find favorite pagesInstruction pages for adult helpersNo external links

1, 2 Buckle My Shoe, the book, designed and illustrated by Anna Grossnickle Hines, was published in 2008 and is available from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.